Chapter 2
"HILDE??" Alex pounded on the door of her and Duo's apartment for a third time then finally resorted to the spare key Hilde had given her a while back. She unlocked the knob and dead bolt and walked in. There was a note on a side table so she read it: Went to earth, Branson, Missouri US. She knew they liked to go on vacation and since she was from Missouri. Springfield to be precise she knew where they might be staying. The next shuttle to earth would be hers.
"Shuttle 432 boarding at Gate C6" sounded the intercom. It was her flight she picked up her carry on and headed to the shuttle in a few hours she'd be back in Springfield. Back to her motorcycle and her white schnauzer, Prince. she would drop off her luggage and ride straight to Branson. She walked through the metal detector and to her dismay it beeped they checked her pockets nothing so she revealed a large knife with held in her left boot they let it pass (after much reluctance and arguing) and she got on the shuttle, took her seat, and set her carry on bag in the seat next to hers. A few minutes later when they were only a couple from departure a young man with blonde hair and light blue green eyes walked down the center aisle. He looked around for a vacant seat and found none. When he came to her row he asked her if the seat next to her was taken and she answered no. She moved her bag to the basket below her seat and the man sat down. About thirty minutes into the flight that man asked, "So where are you headed all alone?"
"Home, to Springfield, Missouri" she answered
"oh" said the childish looking man slowly "what's your name?" he asked.
"Alex" she said staring at the starry sky
"Mines Quatre," he paused "I have no home I'm just going where my heart takes me." he said quietly
"I've heard of you...do you know Duo Maxwell?" she asked a little surprised that one of the pilots that Hilde had always talked about was sitting right next to her
"Yes..." said Quatre stunned
"I know his friend, Hilde, was with her in the Oz forces, I'm against the people who wish to bring them back now though," she ran two slender fingers through her short reddish-brown hair, "I'm glad the war's over but I suppose it's left you with nothing to do eh?" Quatre nodded, "WuFei's been up on a cliff for the past two weeks complaining to his imaginary Natakuu I'm going to find Duo and try to get something together to cheer him up"
"That's exactly what I was doing, Trowa and I-"
"Trowa?"
"Well yes uh, he and I are going steady..." Alex giggled and Quatre blushed, "anyway Trowa and I were getting bored and now that you say it I think all of us are going a little stir crazy with out each other. That giggle sounded like a girl's man." Alex looked him in the face with her bright green eyes all angry looking, "I am a girl." came through pursed and pale lips.
"Oh." Quatre mouthed. Alex always knew she looked like a guy and loved to see girl's who found her 'cute' when they asked her out on a date she would ask "since when were you gay?" She kept count of how many girls had asked her to go steady and she was up to six now. Six girls to her one guy. The only guy who had ever fallen in love with her wasn't worth mentioning. Two days together and that was it.
Alex yawned and reclined her seat a bit. she took out a pillow and laid her head back.
"Tired?" Quatre asked gently. Alex nodded and tried to make herself comfortable, "here," he laid her head on his shoulder and she pulled her legs up and scooted her head to Quatre's chest "is that better?" he asked softly. She nodded and drifted off to sleep. Quatre stroked her hair gently and after about a half an hour he laid his head down on top of hers and fell asleep
Quatre awoke to a tapping on his shoulder, "The shuttle will be landing soon." said the flight attendant Quatre thanked her and proceeded to wake the sleeping girl upon his chest, "Alex, Alex" he beckoned, "wake up hun' we'll be there any minute "Alex stirred and awoke. She groaned under her breath and sat up. Quatre straightened her short brunette hair. Her long bangs covered one eye so he pushed them further to the side. She felt a little warm so she slipped off the blouse that she wore to cover something on her left arm that no one could possibly miss
"What happened?" Quatre asked surprised
"Oh that," Alex glanced at a large cut on her fore arm, "I dropped my knife while I was tossing it around and..." she made a slashing motion in the line of the cut.
"Ouch," said Quatre gritting his teeth, "why do you have a knife any way?"
"Self defense" she said pulling the sheathed knife out of her boot. She took it out (after checking for any authorities) and showed it to Quatre. The blade itself was five inches long and thin silver and the handle was simple black wood. She put it away. Alex took out a roll of medical tape and wrapped up the cut with a couple napkins "The doctor said to leave it open if I have a shirt on over it but if I don't then I have to cover it," Quatre helped her wrap her arm, "you're much more gentle than Dr. Williams is." Quatre lost focus and blushed but when he did a clumsy mistake followed, he laid a hand heavily on her wounded arm. Alex flinched in pain and pulled away
"Oh I'm so sorry Alex" said Quatre holding her shoulder he finished bandaging her arm (more carefully this time) and then the pilot came over the intercom: "We will be landing momentarily. Please fasten your seatbelts and return all seats to the upright position" Alex pulled the little lever on the right side of her window seat and the seat popped up. She buckled her seatbelt likewise did Quatre. In less than ten minutes they had landed and were off the shuttle looking for their luggage. Alex found hers first she had just one large suitcase. Quatre on the other hand had two, a duffel bag and a smaller suitcase. They took a taxi to Alex's home. Alex got out and Quatre stayed
"It was nice meeting you Quatre"
"Nice meeting you too, Alex" Quatre waved as she walked up the front steps took out her key and walked in after unlocking the deadbolt and the knob. She turned and waved happily, reminding Quatre of Duo almost immediately, then continued inside Quatre laughed slightly and realized just then and there how much the four friends he had made during the war meant to him. Quatre rode to a rental car lot and chose a silver convertible Corvette. He paid the driver of the taxi for his and Alex's rides, took his luggage and drove to Branson. Meanwhile back at the Lang household Alex walked into the kitchen and fixed herself a sandwich.
"Kevin? I'm home." she exclaimed walking past her older brother's room.
"What took ya so long? You've been gone for two days!" Kevin was a lot like Trowa except funnier. He was like Heero in a way too with his expert hacking skills
"I had a few important things to do" She said walking to her own room. Kevin followed her.
"A few?"
"Yes now," she took a disk out of her bag, "Why don't you go see if you can decode this for me."
"Where the hell'd ya get this?" he said examining an inscription on one side of it
"Found it outside Duo and Hilde's apartment" Kevin took the disk to his room. There were at least five maybe six monitors in there (if you count the disassembled ones) three of which had the actual computer to go with it. He sat down in his navy blue swivel chair and moved the mouse to the left most computer. This one was for decoding and business, the center one was for games and the right most one was for searching and anything else he needed. He inserted the disk and double clicked on the 'my computer' icon. A little screen popped up he double clicked on another icon this time labeled 'drive E:' a little window appeared with a message he read and pressed 'cancel' he continued working on the disk which seemed to be a program of some sort, maybe a large file. Alex got bored quickly so she sat down at the computer next to him and inserted the 1st Riven disc Riven was a sort of puzzle/adventure game that was popular in the nineties it had five disks and took her father months to finish. She slipped on the headphones and sat to finish the game. An hour later Kevin pulled back on the left speaker of her headphones and let it snap back hitting Alex in the head. Alex pulled them off her head and glared at Kevin
"Got it" said Kevin pointing to the screen
"HILDE??" Alex pounded on the door of her and Duo's apartment for a third time then finally resorted to the spare key Hilde had given her a while back. She unlocked the knob and dead bolt and walked in. There was a note on a side table so she read it: Went to earth, Branson, Missouri US. She knew they liked to go on vacation and since she was from Missouri. Springfield to be precise she knew where they might be staying. The next shuttle to earth would be hers.
"Shuttle 432 boarding at Gate C6" sounded the intercom. It was her flight she picked up her carry on and headed to the shuttle in a few hours she'd be back in Springfield. Back to her motorcycle and her white schnauzer, Prince. she would drop off her luggage and ride straight to Branson. She walked through the metal detector and to her dismay it beeped they checked her pockets nothing so she revealed a large knife with held in her left boot they let it pass (after much reluctance and arguing) and she got on the shuttle, took her seat, and set her carry on bag in the seat next to hers. A few minutes later when they were only a couple from departure a young man with blonde hair and light blue green eyes walked down the center aisle. He looked around for a vacant seat and found none. When he came to her row he asked her if the seat next to her was taken and she answered no. She moved her bag to the basket below her seat and the man sat down. About thirty minutes into the flight that man asked, "So where are you headed all alone?"
"Home, to Springfield, Missouri" she answered
"oh" said the childish looking man slowly "what's your name?" he asked.
"Alex" she said staring at the starry sky
"Mines Quatre," he paused "I have no home I'm just going where my heart takes me." he said quietly
"I've heard of you...do you know Duo Maxwell?" she asked a little surprised that one of the pilots that Hilde had always talked about was sitting right next to her
"Yes..." said Quatre stunned
"I know his friend, Hilde, was with her in the Oz forces, I'm against the people who wish to bring them back now though," she ran two slender fingers through her short reddish-brown hair, "I'm glad the war's over but I suppose it's left you with nothing to do eh?" Quatre nodded, "WuFei's been up on a cliff for the past two weeks complaining to his imaginary Natakuu I'm going to find Duo and try to get something together to cheer him up"
"That's exactly what I was doing, Trowa and I-"
"Trowa?"
"Well yes uh, he and I are going steady..." Alex giggled and Quatre blushed, "anyway Trowa and I were getting bored and now that you say it I think all of us are going a little stir crazy with out each other. That giggle sounded like a girl's man." Alex looked him in the face with her bright green eyes all angry looking, "I am a girl." came through pursed and pale lips.
"Oh." Quatre mouthed. Alex always knew she looked like a guy and loved to see girl's who found her 'cute' when they asked her out on a date she would ask "since when were you gay?" She kept count of how many girls had asked her to go steady and she was up to six now. Six girls to her one guy. The only guy who had ever fallen in love with her wasn't worth mentioning. Two days together and that was it.
Alex yawned and reclined her seat a bit. she took out a pillow and laid her head back.
"Tired?" Quatre asked gently. Alex nodded and tried to make herself comfortable, "here," he laid her head on his shoulder and she pulled her legs up and scooted her head to Quatre's chest "is that better?" he asked softly. She nodded and drifted off to sleep. Quatre stroked her hair gently and after about a half an hour he laid his head down on top of hers and fell asleep
Quatre awoke to a tapping on his shoulder, "The shuttle will be landing soon." said the flight attendant Quatre thanked her and proceeded to wake the sleeping girl upon his chest, "Alex, Alex" he beckoned, "wake up hun' we'll be there any minute "Alex stirred and awoke. She groaned under her breath and sat up. Quatre straightened her short brunette hair. Her long bangs covered one eye so he pushed them further to the side. She felt a little warm so she slipped off the blouse that she wore to cover something on her left arm that no one could possibly miss
"What happened?" Quatre asked surprised
"Oh that," Alex glanced at a large cut on her fore arm, "I dropped my knife while I was tossing it around and..." she made a slashing motion in the line of the cut.
"Ouch," said Quatre gritting his teeth, "why do you have a knife any way?"
"Self defense" she said pulling the sheathed knife out of her boot. She took it out (after checking for any authorities) and showed it to Quatre. The blade itself was five inches long and thin silver and the handle was simple black wood. She put it away. Alex took out a roll of medical tape and wrapped up the cut with a couple napkins "The doctor said to leave it open if I have a shirt on over it but if I don't then I have to cover it," Quatre helped her wrap her arm, "you're much more gentle than Dr. Williams is." Quatre lost focus and blushed but when he did a clumsy mistake followed, he laid a hand heavily on her wounded arm. Alex flinched in pain and pulled away
"Oh I'm so sorry Alex" said Quatre holding her shoulder he finished bandaging her arm (more carefully this time) and then the pilot came over the intercom: "We will be landing momentarily. Please fasten your seatbelts and return all seats to the upright position" Alex pulled the little lever on the right side of her window seat and the seat popped up. She buckled her seatbelt likewise did Quatre. In less than ten minutes they had landed and were off the shuttle looking for their luggage. Alex found hers first she had just one large suitcase. Quatre on the other hand had two, a duffel bag and a smaller suitcase. They took a taxi to Alex's home. Alex got out and Quatre stayed
"It was nice meeting you Quatre"
"Nice meeting you too, Alex" Quatre waved as she walked up the front steps took out her key and walked in after unlocking the deadbolt and the knob. She turned and waved happily, reminding Quatre of Duo almost immediately, then continued inside Quatre laughed slightly and realized just then and there how much the four friends he had made during the war meant to him. Quatre rode to a rental car lot and chose a silver convertible Corvette. He paid the driver of the taxi for his and Alex's rides, took his luggage and drove to Branson. Meanwhile back at the Lang household Alex walked into the kitchen and fixed herself a sandwich.
"Kevin? I'm home." she exclaimed walking past her older brother's room.
"What took ya so long? You've been gone for two days!" Kevin was a lot like Trowa except funnier. He was like Heero in a way too with his expert hacking skills
"I had a few important things to do" She said walking to her own room. Kevin followed her.
"A few?"
"Yes now," she took a disk out of her bag, "Why don't you go see if you can decode this for me."
"Where the hell'd ya get this?" he said examining an inscription on one side of it
"Found it outside Duo and Hilde's apartment" Kevin took the disk to his room. There were at least five maybe six monitors in there (if you count the disassembled ones) three of which had the actual computer to go with it. He sat down in his navy blue swivel chair and moved the mouse to the left most computer. This one was for decoding and business, the center one was for games and the right most one was for searching and anything else he needed. He inserted the disk and double clicked on the 'my computer' icon. A little screen popped up he double clicked on another icon this time labeled 'drive E:' a little window appeared with a message he read and pressed 'cancel' he continued working on the disk which seemed to be a program of some sort, maybe a large file. Alex got bored quickly so she sat down at the computer next to him and inserted the 1st Riven disc Riven was a sort of puzzle/adventure game that was popular in the nineties it had five disks and took her father months to finish. She slipped on the headphones and sat to finish the game. An hour later Kevin pulled back on the left speaker of her headphones and let it snap back hitting Alex in the head. Alex pulled them off her head and glared at Kevin
"Got it" said Kevin pointing to the screen